"Allison Sekemoto has
vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and
tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her
back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince
who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie
faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new
strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to
threaten human and vampire alike."

Julie Kagawa has done it again.
Thankfully, The Eternity Cure doesn't suffer from the "second book
syndrome" that is terribly prevalent in so many YA trilogies nowadays.
Like its predecessor, TEC was just as action-packed, gripping and moving,
perhaps even more so. I read this entire book in one sitting and all I could
say afterwards was WOW.

PROs:
1. Kagawa’s world building. Despite being set in a much darker,
dystopian/post-apocalyptic world than her Iron Fey series, her flawless, lush
descriptions and attention to detail still remained the same. There was never a
moment when I wasn’t fully immersed within the setting; I felt that Allison’s
perspective and experiences of her surroundings were as if my own. From deserted
towns to Vampire cities, underground places full of rabids, mole men and
humans, Kagawa never failed to draw me in.

(Mini-con: after a while into the
novel I thought that the descriptions of the trees and plants growing all over the
concrete/foot paths were a *little* repetitious, however it may be because that
I’ve read the Immortal Rules not long before which had identical descriptions
that was fresh in my head.

2. The characters, or more specifically, Jackal. Readers of the Immortal
Rules may remember him as the villain that pops up in the last 5th of the novel
or so. Yes he was evil, however in TEC, WOW. Let’s just say that I love how
Kagawa’s characters weren't completely black/white. Instead, they were complex,
full of grey areas and weren't just conforming to cliché archetypes in YA
fiction. Allison never quite lets her guard down around him however he does add
a much needed comic relief in the midst of the depressing events happening in
TEC. I loved his sarcasm and witty remarks (even though they ended up with
weapons being drawn numerous of times), and his relationship with Allison as
blood siblings in the vampire sense was quite intriguing.

Fans of Kanin would
also be satisfied as he returned to TEC with a substantial appearance; however
the events that unfurled after his return would definitely be shocking and
gripping. And lastly… Zeke; oh boy was he NOT the same person Allison had left
at the end of The Immortal Rules. I enjoyed his character development as well
as the dynamics between him and Allison. He may be only human amidst the bunch
vampires, however he held his own and was not a force to be reckoned with.

CONs:
1. Nothing too major, but I thought that the pacing in some areas of TEC was a
bit slow, especially at the beginning. However I suspected that it was mostly
due to Kagawa doing a thorough recap of the events from The Immortal Rules.
However I still think that the first part of the book could have been
tighter/shorter.

2. Allison’s internal monologue about being a monster/uncontrollable demon
was, well, repetitive. I understand that it was to emphasise her inner struggle
with the Hunger when she’s with Zeke as well as her own personal existential
crisis; however the fact that Kagawa constantly dragged this same conflict out
throughout the WHOLE two books (until the end of TEC) didn't quite sit well
with me.

Overall thoughts:
The positives definitely outweigh the negatives. I believe Kagawa has produced
an excellent, well-written, solid continuation to the Blood of Eden series that
will satisfy The Immortal Rules fans while leaving them wanting for more.
Actually, more like DESPERATELY *dying* for more due to that heart-stopping,
cruel cliff-hanger. I will definitely be watching out for the 3rd book!

An electronic advance reading copy was provided by the publisher. This did not influence my opinion in any way.

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About Me

letoile19

Australia

Hello! My name is Estelle and I'm from Sydney, Australia. I'm currently in my final year of high school and you will often find me sleep-deprived from staying up late to read under my bed covers. I'm a huge fan of speculative fiction and my hobbies include playing the piano, clarinet and chess.